Daily Egyptian
Fall '04 Edition
Forum breaks down body of stereotypes
Jessica Yorama
jyorama@dailyegyptian.comWhen Kelly Williams asked a friend for her initial perception of black women, she was surprised to hear words such as "aggressive" and "provocative."
After evaluating the portrayal of women in the media, however, Williams began to understand why people might have such thoughts.
"I started to think, well, this is what she's been subjected to by the media, so if she feels this way, maybe others do as well," Williams said.
Williams was the primary organizer behind "Bootylicious", a forum addressing the perception of black women in both media and the community. Between 50 and 75 people attended the event Tuesday, which was sponsored by the youth and college chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It was the second event to take place this week, which is NAACP week.
Williams said she wanted to provide an outlet for an audience to share their perception of black women in the media and in general. Using video footage such as a provocatively dressed woman being attacked at an annual event known as "Freaknik," she posed several questions about whether provocative attire warrants negative perceptions.
"When I first saw the clip I laughed, but afterward, I took a more serious approach," said Williams, a junior in psychology from Chicago and the secretary and program chair of the NAACP. "I'm a strong supporter of entertainment like BET, but at times, I do not feel they provide an accurate representation of what an African-American woman is as a whole." James Scales, director of career services, said that he believes interpretation has a great deal to do with age. Scales spoke of the lessons he was taught by his father and emphasized the role that upbringing plays in his perception.
"Unfortunatly in this country, we only look at what would have been the right thing after things have already happened," Scales said.
Many people stated the importance of taking responsibility for actions and their repercussions.
Everett Neasman, who is involved with the English department's graduate program, said misconceptions about women have long plagued society, but with the advent of television it has taken almost a life of their own.
"First and foremost your generation is not the first to portray black women as sexual beings," Neasman said. "This is OK as long as the woman is OK with this. It becomes an issue when BET begins to define them. Then the black woman is lost."
Williams said she hoped designing a panel reflective of different ages and genders would help raise varying opinions. However, there was no difficulty getting the discussion rolling.
"I think it's important to learn more about the different stereotypes to find out why some people may get so angry and some people aren't offended at all," said Dominquez Horton, a sophomore studying journalism from Chicago. "I thought it would be interesting to hear what the people in the audience and the panel had to say and get a wider perspective on the issue."
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